To Serve and Obey
by Riverhaze
Summary: She was a member of the Knights of Ren, sent as a last resort to retrieve the map for her Master. General Hux twists her mission into a massacre of the fragile remains of the Republic and Resistance on D'Qar. Only her devotion to Kylo Ren keeps her on her dark path, but like him, she will be tempted to the light. Minor/eventual KyloRenxOC. Do not own Star Wars. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

They were family. They were an order unto themselves, dedicated to the ways of the old Sith, the last beacon of hope and salvation in a galaxy tearing itself apart. That is what I believed. Then it started to change, or rather, started to show its true nature.

They were the Knights of Ren.

* * *

"What do you mean, he's been injured? By what?" General Hux smirks at me like he can't wait to tell me what he is about to say. Practiced it in the mirror and everything.

"Not by what, but who. A girl, a scavenger from Jakku he took in a crazed attempt to get the map." His smirk turns into a gloating sneer, elated by my confusion.

"His injuries could only have been dealt by a skilled apprentice, what the hell happened on Starkiller Base?" I frowned, crossed my arms and felt the other Knights grumble their sentiments.

"It is highly classified and investigations are still underway." Same old dismissal, a glorified 'go away.' If I did not know any better, Hux was just as embarrassed of his failure as Kylo.

Hux finally slithered away after a few more minutes of banter, still pissed off and cranky as usual. Kylo was still in the medical bay, having already been healed but the medics were overly paranoid. It was not every day that one of the Knights of Ren, let alone the leader, came in close to unconsciousness. People were starting to grumble, doubting their power. That would not do. It was time to figure out what the hell happened.

"Master Ren." I knocked once on the door, the droids hovering in the air and close by turned to face me before Kylo looked up. Not a formal title, but one out of respect. His dark eyes were black as coal against the paleness of his skin, and the most striking addition to his features was a long angry red scar that traveled the length of his throat to the tip of his forehead. The energy rolling off him in waves sent a small shiver through the Force, his emotions were tumultuous, almost tense but there was something else there...was it...clarity?

"Have you felt it? The new awakening in the Force?" He wasted no time with formalities.

"Yes, its is very unsettling." I answered, and the others agreed.

"There will be a new Jedi trained by Skywalker, a young girl from Jakku named Rey." He spat the name with every ounce of resentment he could muster.

"Was she the one who did this to you?" In response, Kylo gave a low guttural frustrated growl. Now my curiosity was spiked, this girl, this Rey, must be very powerful naturally to take on Kylo Ren and _win_. Not since, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

"The last of my training with Snoke begins today. I leave you in charge of the Knights until then, and when I return, Skywalker and his new apprentice will suffer." His voice was oddly quiet through the threat, he even smiled to himself at the thought.

"We shall carry on the mission of locating Skywalker." I give a simple bow, and he nods at me in dismissal. I pause, trying to think if anything else needs to be said. Should I tell him to be careful? Would he even listen?

"Oh, and Han Solo is dead." Satisfaction drips in every word.

"I heard. Good."

And that is all that needs to be said.

* * *

 _"Through me you go into a city of weeping; through me you go into eternal pain; through me you go amongst the lost people"_  
 _-Dante Alighieri, The Inferno_

* * *

The other Knights form a tight circle around me as we gathered inside the meeting room. Safe and away from the First Order and listening ears. At that moment, Kylo was on his way to the Supreme Leader and would not be seen again for a long time. In his absence they all felt lost, but I was slowly learning how to fill the gap.

"How do we get the map? All of our informants within the Resistance have been rooted out by now. Their replacements are not yet trusted well enough to have access to such information." One of the Knights voiced his concerns.

"One of us will have to sneak in, and take it." I opened my eyes, ignoring the pounding headache crushing against my skull and greymatter. They always came and went, sometimes for days or only a few minutes. They were all silent, unsure of who would want to set out on such a foolish errand.

Slowly, I raised my hand up to the mask, and took it off so I could breathe freely. It felt strange feeling the stale filtered air against my skin.

"I will go." I sighed, and relief relaxed the tension in the room. I stared out of the floor to ceiling window, overlooking the home planet of the First Order. In the glass I could see my own faded reflection. I had almost forgotten what I looked like and was not at all surprised by the dark bags under my eyes the color of bruises or the hollowness of my cheeks, sunken in and waxy like a living corpse. Stress had deteriorated my once round face, sleepless nights had left me awake over worry for Kylo Ren. I pulled the hood of my robe up, but left the mask at my side. I would have to change soon, take on the part of a Resistance sympathiser.

Everyone else had failed Kylo, but I would not. If need be, I would strike down Rey for him, leave the path open to Skywalker. There would be no other servant as worthy as I.

I could not just show up on D'Qar, my unexpected presence would be felt immediately by Leia Organa. First, I had to be taken to a planet with Resistance allies. Then, I could travel to the headquarters of the Resistance and find the map. Sounds easy enough. Before all of that, I had to change.

It was not that hard to find some clothing a rebel fighter would wear, we had many left over from dispatched prisoners. I put on a pair of plain dark brown woolen trousers with worn out leather boots that looked ancient. Over that I put on a long sleeve and high collared shirt, and threw a thick scarf around my head and neck. I had to hide my lightsaber inside the pack tied at my waist, instead I strapped a blaster to my hip.

"You look foolish." A shadow was cast in the doorway. I stiffened and turned around, not a all surprised to find Hux there.

"Then I have succeeded. What is it that you want?"

"There has been some slight changes to your mission." Already I can tell what I am about to hear will irritate me. I wish I had the hilt of my lightsaber at my side to grasp for comfort.

"When you infiltrate the Resistance Headquarters, you will send an alert through the tracker in your pack so the First Order can arrive and wipe out everyone inside and on the planet."

"The Resistance is not a target by the Knights, Skywalker is." I huffed in irritation. Not like I wasn't up for a good old fashioned massacre, but it seemed oddly wasteful. Hux was just angry that they had made him look like an idiot, as if he had learned nothing from the Death Star. A cat liking his wounds.

"That may sound like treason to some." He kept his arms folded behind his back, ramrod straight.

"Are you doubting the loyalty of the Knights of Ren? Do you question us?"

"Well, at least I do not blindly follow a half baked Sith Lord that was defeated by a scavenger. Besides, if we wipe out the Resistance and General Leia, then we won't have to go looking for Skywalker. He will come to us." With that, he turned around and walked away, knowing I would not argue any more.

He was right, and this new plan was more effective. That damned Hux, sticking his nose where it does not belong. I stomped my way over to the hangar where my transportation was waiting, seething over the interference. One of the Knights must have broken ranks, went and squealed to Hux. Now I had a traitor to deal with. I would stubbornly obey, now that the First Order was involved and disobeying would be high treason. But that did not stop a small, guttural voice inside my head from harboring dissent. It was not reason, or pride.

It was something I had not ever felt before, but I let it stay there and fester.

* * *

A/N: *writes a new story when i have a bunch of other fics that need updating* hi everyone, this is my first try at a star wars fic, ive been planning on writing some for ages but was never really ~inspired~ until i saw the new movie. i intend to keep the chapters short so i will be able to update more and let the story naturally breathe. this takes place in between 7 and 8, and since we dont know a whole lot about the knights of ren (or whats gonna happen in 8 lolol) im going on inferences

oh and this is a kylorenxoc story, but not in a traditional sense (the love is obsession ie bellatrix and voldemort, harley quinn and the joker, etc. etc.), i want to keep kylo ren in character as much as possible while making the oc feel like an actual character from the story so let me know what you think

and dante's inferno quotes cause its awesome and currently reading


	2. Chapter 2

I read the report on what happened as I traveled to Takodana on an unmarked ship. I had to bribe one of the Order's higher ups to get it, Hux had sealed it away into the highest clearance but his underlings were easy to persuade.

There were several high targets as a result of the massive blunder, the scavenger Rey, FN-2187, the pilot Poe Dameron, and their leader. General Organa, far fallen from her regal birth.

"Just how do you plan on getting to D'Qar? You going to befriend everyone in sight?" The pilot chuckled at their own joke.

"No, I am going to board a supply ship from D'Qar." I closed the data file in front of me and pulled the scarf closer around my face. I was still uncomfortable being so exposed, stuck in a pernament sour mood from being disconnected from the Knights, soon enough our Master would be back and this mission will be over. Soon enough.

"Whatever you say, Boss. About to land on Takodana in thirty minutes."

I got ready as the ship descended through the planet's atmosphere, when the bay doors opened I was almost assaulted by the smell. We had landed in the middle of a swamp in the dead of night, and somewhere close by something was decaying into the waters. The pilot wished me good luck but I barely paid attention as I took in my surroundings of the new planet. It was too green for my liking.

I glanced over the map provided, it would take me several hours of walking to reach the site of the battle and where Maz Kanata was trying to rebuild her castle. Rumors had it that the fragments of the New Republic were desperately trying to rebuild their numbers through the constant stream of renegades and thieves regulating the area. I would see for myself soon enough.

I trailed through the forest in silence as the late night gave way to early dawn. A constant drone of bugs in the thicket accompanied the lonely path but there was no one else coming the other way this morning. The pre-morning grey mist crept up at my heels as I continued through the bog. When I neared the site of Maz Kanata's castle, a peculiar feeling in the air made me pause with the toes of my boots in a puddle.

My hand on the soft bark of a tree singed by a blaster that missed its target. No, not missed, the aim had been true. Deflected.

Panic had sent someone running through the mud down the bank, under a pass, and around the corner in erratic footsteps. Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to entertain the feeling pushing me forward. I ducked under the overturned tree and pushed myself on top of a hill right where-

It was gone. Only fleeting emotions already forgotten, fear and denial. Impatience.

I hesitated, wishing I could recall back what it was that pointed me in this direction the first time. The force could only guide me so far, I still had a physical path to walk that was lined with the blood of the weak. And mud, lots and lots of blasted mud on this planet.

I checked the map one more time, regaining my position before continuing on through the bushes and weeds. I heard the construction on the castle before I saw it. Already what looked like the new foundation was halfway complete. Impressive, considering the Order raised the area not even a week ago.

Slipping into the crowd, no one noticed me, not at all. Just another human girl, a battered looking refugee waiting patiently near the landing zone. To pass the time, I watched the swarm of aliens and humans and there in the center of the chaos, was Maz Kanata herself. The stunted orange alien was talking to two uniformed men, Republic agents, only the faded reflection of what they once were.

The sun was beginning to rise and with it so would the heat. I checked the time, soon, very soon, the shuttle would arrive. Luckily for them I had all the patience in the galaxy to spare.

* * *

 _"The quarrel is between our masters and us their men."_

 _"Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads."_

 _-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One Scene One_

* * *

Time began to drag forward as I sat as still as a rock. My stomach began to ache so I chewed on the raw portion I had taken with me, my eyes darting up and down towards the sky every half minute. Finally, a distant rumbling shook the tops of the trees as a freighter ship cruised overhead. Two and a half hours late.

"Ah, Osiria, there you are." It took me a second to answer to the name I had given my agent, Turus. A new informant practically brainwashed by the Order and eager to please, he jumped at the chance to lend a hand to my cause and make a name for himself. He was standing over me in a crisp uniform, smiling from ear to ear through the fat in his cheeks. Much too jovial for the early hour.

"You guys are late. Did something hold you up?" I kept my voice low out of habit, but there was no need. The crew was too busy unloading and distributing the crates and packages of supplies among the waiting populace. The two Republic agents crept forward, whispering hurriedly in the background with an official looking captain.

"There was a screw up with the inventory and we had to recount. Got everything? We should be leaving for D'Qar within the half hour." Turus put a guiding hand around my shoulder to steer me unnoticed into the ship, much like a friendly acquaintance would.

"It usually takes about an hour and a half to travel from Takodana to D'Qar, and the halls are regularly patrolled by the troopers on board. You have a plan though, right?" His true face showed, a cowardly subordinate only good for information.

"Yes. Do not panic, stay in the bridge, and you will be fine." I reassured him and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "You have already disabled the security system, right?" Turus nodded and wished me luck before we departed. If I did not know any better, he was concerned. How endearing.

I followed two chattering passengers as they made their way to the main deck. Already they were discussing their plans for their new life on D'Qar. Cute. When they entered the lounge room, I veered left and traveled quietly down the stair way to the lower deck.

The storage room was lit by dim amber lights, casting shadows where there weren't any. I climbed behind several stacks of sealed containers with a perfect view of the door in the far off corner but with just enough cover to hide. Crossing my legs as if I were meditating, I tugged the scarf away from my face so I could breathe freely. The heat back here was sending beads of sweat rolling down my forehead.

I slid the communicator down my wrist from under my sleeve, tuned the frequency, and raised it away from my mouth.

"Send one ship to intercept the _CS Malevolent_ in the airspace between Takodana and D'Qar, minimal to light crew on board. Attack and neutralize all personnel and passengers on board per the First Order." My voice was quiet, a tiny little hum compared to the whirling of the ship's idle engine. I let the communicator slide to the tip of my knuckles as I put my back against the wall, barely listening to the response. When it was silent again, I took the bracelet off and crushed it into a tiny little ball as it floated in the air.

The pieces fell in a circle on the floor.

How many times had I been here before? In service for a higher power? Too many to count.

First I thought about how far I was about to lower myself for the Order and my Master, and second how often I had done so in the past. The on-setting headache began to strain my concentration, and in that moment I allowed my subconscious to stir.

 _Osiria. Remember that name?_

No, I could not and I would not. I forced these thoughts from my head but once something was opened it was hard to put it back in the box.

I closed my eyes and found myself waiting once again.

* * *

A/N: see chapter four


	3. Chapter 3

_Black ocean, cold and dark_

 _I am the hungry shark, fast and merciless_

 _But the only girl that could talk to him, she couldn't swim_

 _Tell me what's worse than this_

 _What's worse is all the coke_

 _The ice that numbs my throat, if only for the night_

 _My muscles will contract, your bones will crack_

 _It's just a fact cause I am here to win this fight_

 _-'Lydia' by Highly Suspect_

* * *

The ship rocked from a sudden collision forty five minutes later as expected. The mercenaries had dropped right on top of us and without much grace. I glanced up at the ceiling as muffled blaster fire sounded above. Taking my own bulky weapon in hand, I got up to a crouch and skittered toward the door.

A loud buzzing noise vibrated the entire ship as the security system failed to cut on. I chuckled to myself, picturing the looks on their faces in the bridge. The screaming started when I had been sneaking half way up the stairs. Guess they found the passengers.

A crescendo of blaster fire echoed down the halls. Anticipation set my blood to boil as the ship dissolved into controlled chaos.

I closed every door I came across, whistling an old melody under my breath as I locked them from the outside, breaking the controls so they could not be opened again. With a heavy heart I stood outside the lounge area I had seen those two women walk inside earlier, listening to the definite sounds of conflict inside. They had discussed their dreams, their destiny, their fate ahead, but this was it.

They had chosen the wrong side and that had been their mistake, not my own.

Finally, an alarm exploded into ear shattering volume after someone managed to work around the damage I had done to the system. The emergency lights cut on, plunging the ship into darkness illuminated in neon red. All the better.

A thousand clicks, click, click, click, followed as the system tried to release the doors. I made my way back to the lower deck as the sound of footsteps thundered after me, the skeletal remains of the crew fanning out. They should thank me, I corralled the marauders for them. Once they could get all the doors open first, and judging by how long it took them to override the security system, at least ten minutes.

I leaned against the wall of the storage room, picking at a frayed end of my sleeve as blaster fire sounded again. It did not take long for the tide to turn on the penned in marauders this time, several minutes tops. Some of the them had started to blindly run through the ship and down to the lower deck, anything to get away from the heavily armed and vengeful crew above.

A small group darted right past me, and in their panic they did not even notice me. They even had their backs to me when I turned the corner, totally exposed and out in the open. I would have scolded them under different circumstances, but their stupidity made up for what I was about to do. One of the injured men noticed me first and let out a inaudible gasp.

He slumped over after I managed to hit the already made wound on his right shoulder. The other two got to their feet and one of them proved themselves to be a coward by running back into the conflict above. The second one, a scrappy looking woman, charged at me while blindly firing her blaster and hitting everywhere but me.

She froze mid step, fixing me a look of horror as she tried to move her bones but found she could not. I barely stepped an inch to the right and raised the woman's blaster arm like an old fashioned wooden puppet. Gritting my teeth, I tried not to recoil when the energy bullet grazed my own arm.

The pain searing through the muscles in my arm dulled the end of my shocked nerves. Even though I had made her do it, I was angered and annoyed by her presence. Just because she was there.

I raised my damaged arm and with the twitch of tip of my fingers, threw her against the wall with a little too much strength than I thought. Her back smacked against the ship with a loud almost morbid squelch. A thin red stripe began to fall from her beneath her brow as her eyes grew wide and bulged at me like a toad's. For some reason, I found myself sickened and could not escape the feeling that she was still watching me even though life was no longer with her.

 _What had been her name? Who had been her family?_

Through my heavy breathing I noticed it had grown quiet ahead, the crew would search the ship soon for any of the marauders left. Hm...this girl appeared to be my about my size. She would have to do.

Grabbing her by the front of her overcoat, I hauled the body above my shoulders and dashed back towards the storage room. Keenly aware of the small and growing smaller by the second window of opportunity that I had, I tore off the jacket stained with a circle of blood on the back and put it over my own outfit, even taking the pair of foggy goggles from around her neck to further hide my face.

I tucked the body into the corner I had previously occupied, sitting her up so when she was found it would scare the hell out of someone. I wheezed back towards the hall where the body of the other marauder was still sitting half disintegrated against the steps. Cringing into a seated position where I had chucked the body of the girl, I placed the back of my head against the small rose colored swatch of blood. Closing my eyes and slowing my breathing, I pretended to be dead.

Not even several minutes later several loud footsteps came crashing down the hall following stressed voices.

"Hey! There's two more here!"

"Go check them!"

Noisy foot fall, right over left over right over left. A presence standing over me. Closer inspection, the stench of their breath in my face and a clumsy prodding.

"This one is still alive!" A disgruntled sigh.

"Fine, grab her and leave her in the room with the others. They can wait until we get on base to see a doctor." Rough hands grab at my sides before lifting me over their shoulder.

"Do you think they tried to shoot each other? Some sort of suicide pact?" A morbidly curious voice spoke up close by, I could practically hear the sick grin on their face.

"What're you getting at?" The man carrying me grumbled. Not one to entertain theories and suggestions.

"I mean, who killed them?"

No one answered because it did not need to be said. They did not really care.

I counted five hundred steps before the group stopped and a door was opened. I was thrown into a glorified closet, wedged in between and practically on top of two unconscious raiders. By now there was no feeling in my arm but I hardly noticed, excitement was running high in my veins. So far so good, but my assignment had only just begun. With any of the luck he had wished me, Turus was still alive too.

D'Qar was waiting. Those on the surface, so simple and so pure, had no idea what was coming for them.

* * *

A/N: see chapter four!:)


	4. Chapter 4

Poe Dameron had been in the infirmary that afternoon. Finn was still unconscious from the saber cut to the spine and the more days that passed, the more anxious Poe was beginning to feel. He had bugged the doctors endlessly to the point where they turned around and tried to hide from him and his questions.

So, naturally, he was there to witness the wounded mercenaries being brought in.

"Hey, what happened?" He leaned forward to give a helping hand to one of the troopers as they lowered a crumpled looking girl with a red scarf around her face to one of the gurney's.

"This morning's ship to Takodana was attacked by a gang. We should have just thrown the dumb bastards back in their ship and left them to float." The trooper gave an irritated huff and barely looked back at the four injured bodies struggling to draw breath. Poe glanced at them and then back at the other troopers that had remained to gossip, already wild and insane rumors of what happened on the ship had begun to spread.

The General would not be happy to hear any of it, and speaking of which, he should probably go check in with her. She would send someone to find him eventually. He felt a little guilty about leaving Finn all alone, but he wasn't going anywhere.

"We have the air around Takodana completely secured, there should not have been a single threat any where near my convoy!" Poe stopped in the doorway for second to engage the situation. It was never a good sign when the General was heard before being seen. Several frightened looking assistants scrambled around the center of the hub, doing their best to stay out of the direct path of the General's attention. So, something definitely had her spooked.

General Leia Organa was bent over a holo communicator, barking angrily at a confused looking subordinate on the other end.

"I understand, General, but our scanners did not pick up any interference or calls over the network-"

"Ten civilians died on that ship today. Refugees seeking safety and protection from us and they were massacred. Does any of this register with you?" Poe stopped in his tracks at this new revelation. Usually pirates did not blindly kill civilians or unarmed targets, or at least, the ones that floated around the Outer Rim did not unless they were ordered to.

But just who had given the orders?

Poe leaned against the console of a monitor and waited patiently for the call to end. After a few more babbling minutes from the official on the other end at Takodana, General Organa hung up even more agitated than she had been when she made it. She let out a long, heavy sigh and looked over at Poe with a heavy set frown. The lines under her eyes only seemed deeper, the grays in her hair more in number.

"This could mean anything, they had to know exactly where that ship was."

"They could have followed it from Takodana. We can easily find an escort to accompany the next one." Poe pointed out, taking a seat next to the General as she rest her head in her hands.

"Already ahead of you, but I'm not taking any precautions." To prove her point, the General reached into her front pocket and pulled out the original full copy of the map to Luke Skywalker. The only other copy was with Rey, and she had traveled to its destination by now.

"You don't really think people are still after the map? Wouldn't the First Order just send an army in? One gang attack doesn't mean the sky is about to come crashing down." Poe chuckled at his own joke but looked up and found the General's mouth set into a hard thin line. Now was apparently not the time.

"I don't think, I _know._ I'm upping security, so what post do you want?"

"General, I'm a pilot not a guard." Poe grumbled rebelliously and she finally cracked a smile.

"Then you can be apart of the escort." The General declared as Poe gave a large sarcastic eye roll. Just when the severity of Hans death had passed and it seemed like everyone was returning to normal, putting their hope in Rey and the return of Skywalker, this had to happen. Even he had a terrible bought of anxiety after a rather graphic nightmare, being back in that cell, strapped to a metal table and unable to keep that freak in a mask from intruding upon his thoughts-

Whoa, deep breath Dameron, deep breath. He shook his head and turned back to the General, trying to pick up in the middle of her sentence, his own thoughts a scattered mess trying to come back into a line.

"General Organa, I am here with the Captain's report on this morning's incident aboard the _CS Malevolent._ " Turus Rex, one of the newer pilots, gave a stiff salute.

"Already? I just sent in some troopers to investigate." The General went right back to her deep frown and creases in her forehead.

"Hopefully they will find something we missed. Would you like me to wait until later?" Turus spoke with a crispness to his speech.

"Continue." The General waved her hand in a dismissive way, went back to looking at the data map as the new pilot fixed his uniform.

"Approximately forty-five minutes after take off from Takodana, our ship was boarded and attacked by pirates which proceeded to engage our personnel in combat. Only two of our men were lost while eight were wounded, unfortunately ten of the fifteen passengers were killed after the emergency security system failed to function properly." Turus was brisk and straight to the point, and a torn expression briefly twisted his features at the mention of those that had died.

"How did it fail? The _Malevolent_ passed inspection with flying colors, all of its facilities and features were fully operational on departure this morning." The General had begun to pace back and forth, the gears in her ever critical brain whirling at top speed.

"I do not know, General. The tech specialist was one of the men who perished. We managed to get it back on line after a short delay." Turus was even quicker, he struck Poe as someone with an answer for everything. Did he even blink? Poe watched him as the General continued to pick apart his report, yeah, the guy didn't blink.

"General Organa! General-!" One of said troopers mentioned earlier came crashing into the command center as Turus was wrapping up. He was practically a blur of scuffed armor and haggard breath, falling all over himself in front of the General.

"Captain, gather yourself, what is it?" Leia crossed her arms as the trooper doubled over in an attempt to catch his breath.

"We found a body on the ship," he wheezed, "purposely hidden in the back lower deck. We think there was, was a-"

"A stowaway?" Poe finished his sentence for him. General Leia's shoulders slumped, just when she thought she had been reassured that everything was fine. She steeled herself quickly and raised her head in a proud regal manner.

"Send an alert through the base. You two," she pointed at Turus and the trooper, "get several search parties together and inspect every inch twice! They could be among us already!" All business, if she was afraid or anxious, she was not showing it. Meanwhile, the others in the command center quickly exploded into chaos as the gravity of the situation began to dawn on them all. What unsettled Poe the most was the uncertainty, the many different outcomes of what was or was not about happen.

"I'll be right back, General, I gotta go check on the infirmary." Poe said quickly to the General and took off before she could object. Something told him that Finn was in danger, call it paranoia, intuition, or the force everyone was always talking about, but he just had to make sure that it was secure.

Poe bowled past everyone he came across, already the base was beginning to lock down as the news spread word of mouth. He skid to a stop down the hall from the infirmary, facing the doorway as he felt his stomach fall through the floor. The busy corridor was strangely deserted as the lights flickered uncontrollably from within. Drawing his blaster to be safe, Poe crept into the room and flipped on the overhead lights.

He almost jumped out of the room when he noticed the body of the doctor and the remains of the droids, scattered in pieces on the floor. Not even the other mercenaries had been spared, seemingly crushed from above by a thousand pound weight, shriveled up an broken in their beds. Poe did not want to look at Finn but he forced himself forward and over broken glass, deeper into the empty room where he was lying.

Poe let out a long, slow breath of relief when he found Finn unharmed and almost laughed at how paranoid he had been. Finn's eyes were still closed as if at any moment they would open and he would sit up. He shook his head and quickly started to move Finn onto an unoccupied gurney to safely transport him, sadly it looked like the General's assumptions had been true.

Wait, there were only three bodies.

There had been four mercenaries brought in this morning.

Poe turned around as a figure dropped from the ceiling. He was thrown violently over Finn and slammed against a tray of medical equipment, scattering the objects across the room as he was caught in an all to familiar immobilizing force. His breath hitched in his throat and for a second, only a second, he thought Kylo Ren wac back.

Instead, Poe looked up and into the eyes of the girl with a red scarf as she toted his own blaster not even a few centimeters from his nose. Recognition sparked what some would call a mischievous glint, but Poe just saw plain evil, in her eyes.

"What's up?" He wheezed out a faint chuckle after a moment of awkward silence between them.

"Why, hello." She stressed the 'o' with a voice too deep to match her face, crouching down so that they were level with each other. She reached out with a hand as cold and paralyzing as dry ice and Poe was overwhelmed with a sense of deja-vu when she spoke, "where is the map?"

* * *

A/N: Happy New Years! For those who are confused, I went back and touched up chapter 2 and 3 because of reasons. I was not really satisfied with the original draft, I kinda wrote myself into an un-creative hole, but now I like it a bit better. I will probably go back later again and rewrite some details a bit more, but nothing heavy. That is why I limited the chapters to less than 2,000 words so edits will be easy. I also really enjoyed writing this chapter from Poe's POV (even if it was third person), I'm pretty sure I'll do it more often. and PoexFinn cause OBVI.

anyway, let me know what you guys think of the new direction, how its going, etc. etc. thanks so much for follows/favs and such!:)


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm gonna have to meet the General's brother since everyone is so damn anxious to see him." For some reason, Poe was more annoyed by the situation than anything. Hadn't he already gone through this already?

"I can send you to the afterlife and he can meet you there." She clicked the safety and everything.

"Okay, okay, seesh. I dunno, they took it when Rey left." Not really a lie, but not necessarily the truth. The girl yanked the pair of goggles from her eyes and stared at him with flaming orange colored pupils. Under her gaze, Poe felt an uncomfortable prickling sensation trickle down his spine, overcome by an irrational fear like a child afraid of the dark. This stranger was not intimidating, or even scary, she was...creepy.

"I do not have a lot of time and more importantly, neither do you. So, I am going to ask this again and I do not want you to lie to me, Poe. Where is the map?" She asked with an unsettling kindness behind her threat. How the hell did she know his name? More importantly, who was she?

"I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I bet you're the one responsible for the deaths of those refugees."

"Oh please all high and mighty, how many civilians did you kill when you destroyed Starkiller Base? That was still a planet too ya know. But since you think I am an idiot and continue to lie to me, we're going for a walk." Poe was seized by the back of his neck and shoved in front of the girl, the blaster uncomfortably stabbing him in the back as she forced him to walk ahead and out of the room. Before leaving he glanced back at Finn, still lying unconscious but unharmed where he had been left. There was that at least.

"So I take it the First Order sent you? I'm pretty well acquainted already." If he was going to be dragged around as human shield, then he would at least make the best of a really shitty situation.

"Yeah, I bet you are." The girl muttered mostly to herself, pushing him forward through the medical bay.

"What's that supposed mean?" They turned a sharp corner as a rush of clamoring footsteps came around the other end, one of the search parties lead by the officer from the command center. The girl hid behind him and hissed orders at Poe, telling him to act naturally.

"Dameron, there you are. We take it the infirmary is secure?" The captain nodded at him.

"Er, not exactly." The girl behind him reacted in a split second, sliding the blaster in between the gap under his arm and firing an excessive amount of rounds. The few in the back that managed to avoid being hit tried to charge forward in an attempt to get to her without harming Poe, but were caught by their ankles and drug down the length of the hallway behind them. If this was under any other circumstance, Poe would have found it funny.

But with her attention turned away from him, Poe yanked himself free and made a rush for a discarded blaster by one of the severely wounded troopers. He snatched up the weapon and spun around, firing without prejudice at the intruder. She danced wildly around his shots, returning fire with an equal ferocity. The girl recoiled once after Poe hit her in the arm, she visibly tensed and raised her own weapon with out much regard to her new injury.

The wall next to him exploded in a controlled pattern as Poe was sprayed with shrapnel, he shielded his vision and dove out of the way, ready to pull the trigger again when the blaster in his hand was ripped from his grip and tossed behind him without much ceremony. Before he could react, he was thrown against the wall and kept there by an immense pressure that bared down upon him the more he tried to breath.

"Okay, I understand now, which one are you?" He managed to gasp as the girl, the stranger, stepped over the wriggling bodies all around while holding onto her injured arm.

"I am Mòr Ren, and I tried to be nice with you. Pull any more funny business and you will end up like FN-2187 back in the hospital, understood?" She growled irritably, finally releasing him from the choke hold as his vision began to blur.

"Why, you are so kind, and his name is Finn." He coughed and staggering a bit on his feet before being shoved ahead again.

"Call him whatever you like but a traitor is a traitor in the end." Behind him, Mòr shrugged indifferently and ignored the searing pain in her arm, doing her best to keep her head level and clear. The First Order were on their way, at any moment the sky would come falling down and she could not afford to loose the map during the panic that would follow. All she had to do was get to their interface, and with Poe as her shield/hostage, the Resistance would fall at her feet to keep their precious golden boy safe. The only problem was keeping the slippery bastard secure.

Poe himself began to wonder why the alarm had not been raised yet, why there weren't more people running around as they exited the medical ward and stumbled out into the landing bay. And where was that second search party? The area around them was conveniently empty save for a few mechanics poking around several X-Wings, not even bothering to glance at them, as everyone had cleared out by now to eat the last meal of the day.

He decided that if they made it to the doors of the command center and no one had found them yet, he was going to make a run for it even if she did have a weapon. Once he made it inside it wouldn't really matter anyway, there were a lot more people on his side in there with blasters even if she could do fancy little force tricks. Just a few more feet, a few more minutes...

Crossing his fingers and hoping a higher power was on his side, Poe went for it and made a wild dash for the door in front of him. An energy bullet whizzed past his head and singed the tips of his hair, exploding against the wall with a metallic echo. He rolled and dove behind a stack of crates as Mòr shot in an even line after him. Not even several seconds later there was the reverberating sound of returning blaster fire as the mechanics engaged Mòr, turning her full attention away from Poe.

Poe himself crawled around the length of the area, keeping his eye out for anything that could be used as a weapon as the blaster fire began to die down.

"Aye! Dameron, where'd ya go!?" Mòr called, side stepping over the unconscious Resistance fighters and picking up a second blaster. Poe quickened his pace and darted for the escape, clearly he was going to need help dealing with this nut job. Footsteps stomped on the metal grates and picked up in intensity with his own as Mòr spotted Poe and began to charge after him.

"No, no, no, no." Poe said mostly to himself as the hated feeling of being chased crept up on his back with waves of crashing anxiety and adrenaline.

"Aha!" She declared and went to jump down in front of him when a stray bullet came out of no where and hit her in the side, sending Mòr's body falling in front of him while cursing up a storm.

There was a loud rush of footsteps from both ends of the hangar as the second search party finally found them. Their number had swelled in quantity to seemingly everyone in the base, all heavily armed and assembled in an impenetrable line.

Forward and behind, all around, there was no where to go. Mòr got to her feet as a wall of troopers surrounded her, breathing heavily with a look on her face that could freeze over hell. Poe heard the click of the safety and closed his eyes, apparently Mòr had a death wish and he did not want to see the messy end. Instead, the strangest thing happened.

Her expression glossed over as she dropped her weapons, took several steps away from the discarded blasters, and raised her hands in the air.

Turus ran forward first from the line, practically tackling Mòr to the ground to pull her arms behind her into thin silver cuffs. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief except for Poe, who immediately snatched up the closest weapon and held it up to the side of Mòr's head as she was drug to her feet. Once again she turned to fix him with her piercing stare but there was no reason for him to be afraid this time.

"No hard feelings." Poe smiled and it was his turn to shove her forward.

* * *

A/N: if you have already read this chapter and wondering why its different, yes, i did change it and will prob edit it again in the near future. if it really upsets anyone i can always change it back, if not, disregard this.

Anyway, thanks all for continuing to following and 'favoriting' (not a word) the story, but everyone is so quiet, please leave a review if you have any comments/suggestions/etc.


	6. Chapter 6

So I had a plan up until I got caught.

Now I'm pretty sure I am just winging it.

Turus was pulling me forward with a grip as hard as steel against my already wounded arm, and to top it all off Poe Dameron was smugly holding his blaster barely an inch from my temple. That's what I get for being nice. I should have wasted him when I had the chance, along with FN-2187. One slip up and the whole assignment was going to hell and a hand basket. I could hear Hux gloating now.

"General Organa, we managed to apprehend the stowaway." Turus cleared his throat and presented me like I was a trophy he just won. Not like I needed medical attention or anything, with the wound at my side starting to bleed. Nope.

The General looked up from the holomap she had been reading and glared at me like I was a minor annoyance. If she had any real idea, she wouldn't look so bored. The thought nearly put a smile on my face, if it weren't for the searing pain.

"Good job, seat her over there and Poe, keep guard. I have some questions for her." The General crossed her arms and watched as I was roughly shoved into a seat opposite her with Poe's blaster still hovering out of sight.

I kept my eyes on her the entire time, studying each and every feature as closely as I could. I had never seen Kylo's mother before, at least, not in person. She was not as tall as him, in fact she was probably the shortest person in the room, but they shared the same high cheekbones and angular face. Age and stress was beginning to take a toll on her once proud features, sagging the corners of her jaw, graying the edges of her hair, and sleepless nights had put shadows under her eyes.

This was a woman who had been fighting the rebellion since the days of the Empire, when Luke Skywalker was a nobody on a moisture farm. There were many within the Order that cursed her name and plotted for her end, even if it was an unspoken rule that Kylo should be the one to do it. His lineage came through her, but if I understood correctly, she was not as skilled in the force as her brother but still highly sensitive.

"Hello, Gen-er-al." I gave her a stiff nod of respect. She did not even blink at me, but curled the top part of her lip. Well fine, then.

Some of the guards that had been apart of the search party began to slowly clear out, almost reluctantly. They wanted to stay for the show and what a show it was about to be.

"You are going to tell me your name, why you are here, and who sent you."

"Hmm...no." I smiled pleasantly at her, as if we were discussing the weather.

"Her name is Mòr Ren, she is one of them. I've seen what she can do." Poe Dameron spoke up behind me. Shit, I forgot I had told him my name. A foolish decision, but I did not think I was going to get captured now did I.

"Ah, so, did my son send you? He couldn't come himself?" The General barked a bitter laugh and plopped down in a seat across from me. Evidently she planned to be here a while.

"Perhaps you are not that important to him." I shrugged and her stare turned from indifferent to anger in less than a second.

"Don't you speak about my son like you know him, you do not. No matter how far you have deluded yourself, Kylo Ren will always be Ben Solo." Her declaration sounded very sure, as if she were a god commanding judgement from above. But this was worldly business.

"Gee, I'm not so sure, General. Good sons do not kill their fathers, do they?" It wasn't the General that reacted, but Poe. He damn near bounced my head against the table to growl a threat at me to be respectful 'or else.'

I cursed through the stars blinding my vision as my skull began to throb painfully. He was going to regret that. Big time.

"Poe, calm down. She wants to get us riled up. I bet you are here for the map to my brother, Luke. Right?"

"You can see right through me, General."

"You are chasing a pipe dream and my son should give up. The only way he will ever see Luke again is if he comes back to the light." General Organa jutted out her chin defiantly, reciting the same old line I'm sure she tells herself at night in the mirror.

"I'll write that down."

"Don't you talk to me like I am a fool, I've been around long enough and I have seen your kind before. You hide behind your little sarcasm and your quick comebacks, but I can tell you are just a scared little kid that never really stopped to figure out who you were before you let other people decide for you."

"Oh, oh, please. Like I'm gonna listen to you. You were born a princess and look at you now, a dead husband that ran off the first chance he could get and a son that can't stand the stench of you. Yet here you are, still keeping up the good fight, the only one who has stuck around to keep the rebellion kicking and you have fooled yourself into thinking your cause is just, that you will prevail, but you will die and nothing is going to change. The Empire will still be around and your life, your struggles, will have been for nothing and you know it." I spat out the blood that had pooled in the back of my mouth and smirked at the bewildered General, like I had crawled inside her head and broadcast her deepest doubts for everyone to hear. I didn't even have to use the force, it was written all over her face.

"You disrespectful little-" The General bristled and stopped herself short, staring at me like she had just awaken from a trance.

"What're you gonna do, General? Punish me? Make me clean toilets?" I threw my head back and laughed until my ribs started to ache. Laughed even harder when I remembered the Order was less than a fifteen minutes away, and the Resistance was too busy having a chat with little ol' me to really pay attention to their scanners as Turus jacked them up.

"No. You are trying to get me to treat you how one of your own would treat one of us. I do not know what you are trying to prove, but I am not going to give into your little power trip, you are not the interrogator here." She straightened up, even fixed a button on her jacket.

"Whatever you say, General."

"I know my son sent you and he is the leader of your group, the Knights of Ren, but he is not as strong or dark as you believe him to be. I can still sense the overwhelming good in him, no matter how far apart we are or how much he tries to deny it. Whatever crusade your Supreme Leader has convinced you is right, is wrong."

"Oh-kay, so what is right to you, General? Insurrection? Instilling chaos upon a peaceful and happy society because you do not agree with its government?" Raise of the eyebrow, a short pause. The General drums the tips of her fingers together, I amuse her.

"Please, the authoritarian military rule of the Order is the farthest thing from 'peaceful' and its people are not happy, no matter how far you terrify them into submission."

"Isn't that what peace is? Or is peace to you the freedom to rob, murder, and sell one another into bondage because the Republic was to eager to turn a blind eye away in the name of money and profit?" Stalemate.

"Peace to me is the guarantee that I will not be slaughtered with my whole village because one person there spoke out against the First Order. Loyalty is won by the love and respect for one another, not fear."

"Fear is a very powerful tool, General. So powerful the Jedi ignored what is inherently within our very nature and it consumed them. Fear is what drives our society. The moment you deny your fears is the moment they become real, the only way to become absolved of this weakness is to use it on others, the simple minded who do not know what is best for them. Besides, peace, well, as the saying goes, peace is a lie."

"They've got you deep in their pocket, don't they?" The General takes a moment to shake her head, stares at me like she can't even comprehend a different viewpoint because she can not.

"Your son taught me most of what I know." A compliment, but she takes it the wrong way. Her lips suck in like she swallowed a sour grape.

"My son Ben, who you call Kylo Ren, does not believe in your cause as much as you think he does and neither does he. I mean, listen and look at you, you have gotten a lot closer to the map than he ever has." I cocked my head to one side at this revelation, the General kept yammering on, thinking she had me hooked. She did not realize that she had just blurted out what I needed to hear. She had the map, and this was about to go a bit smoother than I thought.

"He even offered to teach Rey. I'm guessing to become apart of your little cult, but she resisted and defeated him."

"Wait, what-!?" That sure snapped me back into the conversation. General Organa shifted eagerly in her seat, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave me a twisted sarcastic little smile.

"I take it you are not very fond of Rey?"

"He can't just take another student when, I mean, there are trials and everything-" I stammered on like a bewildered idiot. I still had yet to meet her, yet this Rey loomed over _everything_ like she actually mattered in the grand scheme of the universe. If I was not already wounded, I would have cringed at the thought, the very _i_ _dea._

"If my son is the great master of the dark side that you hold him up to be, then Rey would not have been able to defeat him as easily as she did. She was even able to resist his mind technique and reversed it, she told me he is afraid, terrified of his true potential and the dark side."

"You lie." I growled through my teeth and the table in front of us began to rattle from my increasing anxiety, because a small part of me deep down inside believed her. Kylo had been weak, allowed himself a moment of hesitation, only a moment, and was stricken down by a scavenger. Now I was committed until death to a Master that half heartily believed what I was ready to die for. Perhaps I had felt this way all along and it took this second to realize where I had once found comfort, I was beginning to find shame.

There was no time for this existential crisis, not right now at least. The Order would be here at any moment and the map was so close I could practically reach out and touch it. I was almost there, almost done, and I could not afford to fail. Could not afford to hesitate. I was still a servant and there was still a task to complete.

"You know it is true, my son was just a boy, barely your age when your Supreme Leader filled his head with the same delusions. In time as you mature, you will reach the same inevitable conclusion that Ben is beginning to reach, that the Dark Side is a pit of despair and you cannot deny the natural call to the light." Her eyes softened a bit, caught somewhere between sympathy and pity. She needed to save it for her own son.

"Then the events to follow are not as black and white as you perceive them to be, besides, you do not have a lot of time left." I sat up straighter in my seat, as much as I was enjoying this conversation, it was time to wrap it up.

"What are you talking about?" The General narrowed her eyes at me and leaned back with her arms crossed. Behind her, stationed conveniently over a monitor, Turus stiffened.

"The First Order is on its way and they will be here within a few minutes to kill you all. If you give me the map to Skywalker, I will make sure that Kylo Ren, Ben, never sees it." At this point, the lines between good and evil were starting to blur and I was not sure what side I was on but my own. Poe had completely abandoned his post next to me and rushed over to where Turus stood to observe the same map.

"Why should I believe you, let alone trust you?"

"If what you say is true about Kylo Ren, then he does not deserve to walk the path to Skywalker. You've got a base to defend or flee, General, and if I do not get the map, then another will be sent for it. Plus, I really, really, do not want to take it by force." I honestly began to plead with her, half sure of what I was saying.

"I'm not going to give you the map, but what I will do is give you a head start to get the hell off my planet and return to my son with the news that the map has been destroyed, because I am about to chuck inside the engine of a ship." The back of her chair scraped against the floor as the General stood up. Commanders began to bark orders over the radio as the Resistance tried to scramble their defenses together.

"Then I apologize for what I am about to do." The table between us was tossed aside, ripped from its bolting to the floor, and thrown against the General. Poe reacted just a little to late, Turus slammed him by his head against the monitor and held him there with a blaster to the back of his skull. I would have felt sorry if he had not done the same to me. As General Leia struggled to remove the table pinning her to the ground, I held her completely still by my boot to the throat to keep the others in the room where they were.

"Turus, keys." I hissed at the simpleton, and he darted over to where I stood to free me from the handcuffs. Poe did not dare to make a move with his precious leader under my foot. Finally being able to move my own hands, I reached down and searched through the General's pockets until my palm closed around something. I held the copy of the map up to the light, a series of rectangles stuck together to fit inside a droid.

All this for something so small.

Turus was smirking from ear to ear, relishing in our victory. He noticed me watching and looked over at me like he was about to ask something when he was pulled forward and impaled by the elongated blade of my saber. His body folded next to the General's, just a little more pressure on her throat and she would be no more. I had shown enough mercy today, I could show some more.

"Do I still get that head start, General?" I called over my shoulder before vaulting over several of the monitors, deflecting the rounds of blaster fire following me. Ignoring the numbing pain from both of my injuries, I flew through the doorway and ran as fast as I could as an all too familiar howl began to descend from above.

* * *

A/N: I think two maybe three more chapters tops to wrap up the sort of opening story arc and then we get to dig deeper into the thick of things and I can finally write more Kylo goodness~ I also got a lovely book called 'The Art of Star Wars the Force Awakens' and now I have this awesome beautiful visual reference to follow that I can't wait to incorporate into the story as well as the earlier chapters

thank ya for continuing to follow the story if you are still hanging on, this story is little and a bit...heavy? compared to others out there, im thinking about upping the rating if it gets any more graphic which it might, especially with the upcoming first order invasion chapters.

anyway, dont forget to leave a review down below if ya got something on your mind, questions, comments, concerns, etc. im aiming for the next chapter to be up by friday or saturday


	7. Chapter 7

Compared to the carnage that had just torn this place apart, the still aftermath that always followed bored Hux beyond measure. He once likened it to the whimper of submission from an unruly subordinate. This was more of a death rattle. To top it all off, a wind had picked up from the east and was howling through the seemingly destroyed complex, with it came a creeping fog that was rolling over the plains and woods not far away. It was about to rain.

Hux strolled through the wreckage of the former Resistance headquarters with his hands folded behind his back and his shiny new boots stepping around blood splatter and debris. Compared to how things had been going lately, he was in a very, very good mood. Medals and promotions all around, even the Supreme Leader would be pleased with his work.

"General Hux! We found her!" Several storm troopers came marching around a ruined X-Wing, carrying a battered looking figure in the middle. Hux fixed his collar and waved them over, stifling a sigh that had built up in his chest. For supposedly being 'advanced warriors', the Knights of Ren had the uncanny ability among themselves to end up unconscious and near death lately. Unfortunately they never actually ended up dead, he had a feeling they did this just to annoy him.

"Escort her to my ship and have the medical staff take care of her. Have any other's been found?" Hux tried not to curl his nose at Mòr, but always found an unpleasant taste in his mouth whenever he had to deal with her ilk. The Knights of Ren always ran around, doing whatever they pleased without cause for authority to further their own religiously fanatical ideals, and look at them, they could hardly defend themselves.

"None of the high targets among the Resistance, sir." Captain Phasma reported. Of course, he huffed inwardly.

"Continue to search the perimeter and send more divisions across D'Qar." He stopped in the middle of the complex to observe the still smoking remains. It was almost enough to put a sneer across his face. They had destroyed his base, so he kindly returned the favor. Now, if only he could get his hands on that General of theirs, then his good mood would be a great one.

* * *

 _To Rome said Nero: "If to smoke you turn I shall not cease to fiddle while you burn." To Nero Rome replied: "Pray do your worst,_

 _'Tis my excuse that you were fiddling first."_

 _-Orm Pludge, The Devil's Dictionary_

* * *

The first wave of TIE-fighters swept across the tree tops, the waiting fleet from the Resistance had little time to prepare for the onslaught. They soon came to find their enemy had become something foreign, a mythical beast with the ability to regrow its severed limbs. Where one ship was destroyed, three more would appear in its place, fueled endlessly by revenge.

Those on the ground, many miles away or very close, stopped to stare as the skyline was lit up. They had all known that this day would come eventually, subconsciously in their thoughts or endlessly worrying in their decisions. Just not today, not so suddenly.

"Go after her!" Nein shouted orders at a group of soldiers, ushering them down the same pathway Mòr had taken after they pried the door back open. Before anyone could object or tell him otherwise, Poe followed at a run.

Leia Organa watched him go knowing an order to stay out of the conflict would be ignored. Besides, they needed him. The General took a moment to breathe after having a table thrown on top of her. When she woke up this morning this was not how she imagined her day would go.

"Ten minutes before our defensive shields fail, fifteen and our forces will be engaged in combat on the ground!" A tech specialist's panicked voice cut through the General's attention like a knife. She snapped out of her reverie and gathered with the other leaders of the Resistance around the holomap of the terrain as the Admiral was giving a synopsis of their strategy.

The odds did not look very good.

* * *

Poe ran through the doorway and shoved himself through the wedge. The ground beneath his feet rumbled from the fire fight above, a stricken down TIE-fighter arced below the skyline and smashed against the dome of the shield. They were burning white hot and already gaping holes were falling through in columns of fire.

There was a flood of bodies going against Poe, retreating into the interior complex or fanning out in stationed units to wait for the boots on the ground. The tension in the air was palpable, mounting by the second as it became clear that a fight was inevitable.

Out of nowhere and the First Order practically on top of them, it was hard to fight back the sudden rush of emotions. Poe diverged from the troopers and made a beeline for his X-Wing with BB-8 already inside. He had to lend a hand in the face of the event horizon, a lot of his friends were up there right now fighting for their lives, possibly wondering where he was. He refused to do nothing.

Cutting vertically across his vision, Poe saw Mòr Ren running and half limping across the landing strip without any regard for the battle around her. She was desperately throwing aside anyone in her path with massive bursts of the force. The unit of soldiers that had trailed her from HQ cornered her in the middle of the landing, and when Poe thought that she was finally done for, she easily dropped them one by one with ferocious intent. Done with feeling helpless for the day and plus she threw a table at the General, Poe fixed the scope of his blaster and aimed it.

Mòr whipped around and deflected the bullet in a shower of red and gold sparks. She visibly bared her teeth at him before ripping the scarf away from her face, letting it fly away in the high wind. Poe fired a few more times before having to dive out of the way of her strike as it nearly sliced through the exterior of his ship. Mòr staggered from the exertion and clutched her side, coughing up a swatch of blood in her palm. Hunched over, Poe took the opportunity to whip her across the head with the butt of his rifle.

He prepared to hit her again, one more and hopefully this time she would end up unconscious, when the breath hitched in his gut. He was jerked to one side, then erratically thrown across the landing and tumbled onto his back.

"Stop hitting me in the face!" Mòr howled at him, cupping a welt that was beginning to swell across her cheek.

"Well stop throwing me around!" Poe retorted as he rolled onto his side before jumping to his feet. He darted for the blaster clumsily tossed mid flight, ignoring the mounting pain across his strained muscles. Mòr raised her shaking hand and waved a limp wrist, dragging the blaster several more feet away from him with a taunting laugh. She advanced towards him in a slow limp, ignoring the droplets of blood falling down her chin and trailing after her.

There was pause between them for a few seconds, but only a few. Mòr arced her hand around in a blur to go in for the killing blow. She stopped abruptly mid strike and slowly, but surely, an ugly sneer twisted her features.

Poe glanced over at where she was staring with such a malicious grin and felt fear rip through every nerve ending in his body. Finn was leaning heavily against the immense doorway to the medical ward, breathing heavily and covered in a thin coat of sweat, looking all around in complete disbelief. It was only when Poe shouted his name did Finn notice him and the girl with a light saber sprinting at him, grinning from ear to ear.

If he had reacted less than several seconds later, well, Poe did not want to think about that.

With the sound of his own breath pounding in his ears, Poe dove for the blaster, whipped around, and pulled the trigger. Mòr's back arced as the bullet slammed into her shoulder blades. She fell to her knees a few inches from Finn as her body went limp. The saber dropped from her hand, clattering to the ground before she collapsed in one inaudible sigh.

"Poe? What the hell is going on!?" Finn shouted above the howling roar of the oncoming assault.

"No time to explain, its not safe here! BB-8, c'mon, let's go!" Poe turned and waved wildly at the droid.

As they made their way back in to the interior of the base with Finn hobbling to keep up, one final massive explosion bombarded the force field above. There was an immense shutter as the barrier finally collapsed in a curtain of energy, falling down in streams of gold and red, swirling fire. Slicing through the immense horizon above, a Star Destroyer blocked out the setting sun and threw them into a premature night.

* * *

A/N: My apologies for the late update, writers block is a mfer. Im not really satisfied with this chapter but I figured I might as well post this since I wouldn't have otherwise. I couldn't figure out how to start and didnt want to sound to cliche or mechanical of the 'action', so I would greatly appreciate any feedback. My problem is that I critically pick apart my writing until I convince myself the whole premise is dumb and end up starting over. Maybe if I watch a few of the movies again I can get more inspired lol.

also writing Hux was alot more fun than I thought it would be, definitely more from him later.


	8. Chapter 8

_Alright, Mòr, do not fall asleep._

Easier said than done, I chuckled to myself and then winced through the searing pain. Down my back, in my arm, practically everywhere. I could only watch as Poe Dameron retreated farther and farther away with the traitor leaning against him, disappearing into the refuge of the hangar. There I was, sprawled out on the ground in the center of the landing strip like a complete idiot, Resistance fighters running around me if they noticed me at all.

Okay, now, _grab the lightsaber_. I stared at my limp hand and willed it to reach out and hold onto the weapon. Sucking in a deep breath, my hand darted out and clenched around the hilt. I let out a painful groan as blood began to run freely in thick chunks of crimson down my chin. The world began to spin violently on its axis as I took a moment to breathe.

Steeling my self, I crawled on my belly and fought through the tunnel of death trying to drag me to the bottom by my ankles. I was becoming hyper aware of the expansion and then contraction of my lungs, the ache in my muscles and weariness of my bones. So this was clarity, not one moment in my mediation or any training session could lead me to this higher plane.

 _Not now, Mòr, you have been injured worse than this before. Think of how disappointed your Master would be._

With a grunt I collapsed on the ground, conveniently positioning myself with one eye on the dome of the sky. At least I wouldn't get trampled on anymore. The ground shook in tempo as the Resistance anti-aircraft guns aimed desperately for the First Order carriers. But the First Order was legion and these men and women?

Nothing to them.

And I could see the end because I had designed this tragedy. This conflict would smash the Resistance back into the stone age, but they would come back. Like cockroaches they always come back, and when they did, I'm not so sure the Order would be ready, could even conceive of such an enemy modeled after its own image.

But here I was getting ahead of myself, making prophecies in my head while unsure if I was even going to see the next day. My Master was far away with only an idea as to what I was doing in his name. He would command me to what needed to be done, to believe in the sheer power of the Dark Side. But I had seen it, glanced into the depths of its howling madness and could only fathom: why?

* * *

 _The many men, so beautiful!_

 _And they all dead did lie:_

 _And a thousand thousand slimy things_

 _Lived on; and so did I._

 _-The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge_

* * *

"So I see the First Order is still up to its usual tricks." Finn winced as Poe helped him down the corridor.

"Yeah, they're getting real crafty now. I guess we really pissed them off."

"I can see that! Remind me not to take a nap around here." The ceiling shook several inches back and forth as a ship must have crashed into the roof. The lights flickered dangerously and a small cluster of guards ran past them without even bothering to check on them. See, that's probably how that girl got in here in the first place.

A few more bad jokes later, and the two came stumbling back into the main operating base. Chaos still dictated the flow of the room, in the middle the General was easy to spot among the other panic stricken officers by her frown of overall annoyance by the situation.

Poe began to shove himself forward in an attempt to track down a medic to look at Finn who was taking on an odd shade of green. The closer he got to the General the more he could make out the conversation she was having with the figure projected into the air.

"Our ships are at least ten minutes away, we have been tracking the First Order battalion and their reinforcements will be there within minutes." Poe vaguely recognized one of the New Republic's commanders, disheveled and in shambles themselves.

"Commander, we don't have ten minutes to hold out against the Order. They've already crumbled our shields and it is not a matter if but when they will breach the ground." She growled in her characteristically stubborn defiance.

"I understand General Organa, but our forces are stretched thin enough as it is. At this point, evacuation of the Resistance's high command should be your top priority."

A heavy silence followed the call to retreat. There was no point in putting fancy words around it. The General simply stared at the hologram, her features frozen in a confused reaction.

"Commander, do you have any idea what you've just said? You've condemned our people to death-" She choked on her words and had to pause to catch her breath.

"I understand, General, but either some of you escape and live to fight another day or all of you die. Our reinforcements are on the way but they will not be there in time to sustain heavy losses. Of course, a command cell will have to stay behind but their survival is not guaranteed." Their image flickered as the base rumbled from heavy fire.

"I will defend this planet to my last breath, Commander. I will not desert my post."

"General Organa, please reconsider. If the First Order got their hands on you, I shudder to think of what they would do. The Resistance needs you as its figure head." It was not the New Republic Commander that interrupted, but the Admiral.

"Then its settled. General Organa, our carrier ships will meet your convoy near the Inner Rim. We have already sent the coordinates. God speed, and may the force be with you." He quickly ended the line before any other decisions could be made. The General hunched her shoulders and did not even bother to censor herself before cursing for several minutes straight.

* * *

The first wave of storm troopers had their boots on the ground and immediately engaged the waiting Resistance fighters in combat. Crouched, hiding, standing in their way, the Resistance threw up their defenses and rained bullets down upon the marching soldiers. First Order carriers were landing like they had fallen out of the sky, one after the other and another, quickly over powering the opponents on the ground.

A line of Resistance troops swept out from the trees behind the landing storm troopers, surprising them long enough to deal massive damage to their ranks before being snuffed out themselves. Those installed to protect and fortify the base could only watch helplessly while their comrades at the front were smart enough to take advantage of the confusion and cut forward.

"Now! Go!" A gunner signaled to them and Poe ducked and rushed ahead towards one of the few remaining X-Wing ships. The remaining evacuees not designated pilots rushed aboard the _Malevolent_ where General Organa plopped herself down in the commander's seat. There was a rise in blaster fire as the Resistance, emboldened by the desperation of the situation, bravely or foolishly pushed against the front lines.

Poe's unit was ready and waiting for him, already having secured a short path ahead of the TIE-fighters. The only obstacle ahead were the ships dangling high up in the atmosphere, darting around the massive bullets fired from the anti aircraft cannons with ease. With hostile reinforcements on the way, their only chance for escape was right there and then.

 _Here goes nothing._

The first squadron of rising X-Wing's smashed through the First Order fleet, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of their assembly. The lead dropped down and darted ahead as the ships went into formation, the rest of the fleeing Resistance made a quick rush through the exit wound followed by a tightly nit swarm of remaining X-Wing ships fending off the incoming TIE-fighters.

"I think I'm gonna throw up!" Finn groaned, pitching forward on his seat in the Malevolent.

"Not on my boots!" The General's voice was caught somewhere between panic and disgust.

"Guys, stop making me laugh!" Poe snapped at the both of them over the radio, steering hard to the right to avoid colliding with a hostile ship spinning out of control. Their drastic ascent through the atmosphere slammed the sheer force of gravity against Poe's chest and glued him to his seat. Everywhere he looked, up, down, right left, the enemy was there trying to blast his ship or another Resistance air craft in to a million pieces.

Good news was that they were finally rocketing past the stratosphere and would soon be thrown out into the open field of space, where several massive Star Destroyers were waiting. As soon as they left D'Qar's gravitational field, they would have to make the jump into light speed and pray that no one followed them. This mad escape plan might just work. Maybe.

"Alright, stay together everyone!" Poe shouted over the radio and pulled into a steep incline, firing at anything with a First Order logo on it. Coming up on their tail, a wave of TIE-fighters was attempting to flank them from behind and another squadron was dropping down on them fast. Staring straight ahead was the void of space beyond the seemingly unending First Order fleet and there was no looking back.

"We're not going to make it!" Finn practically shrieked as the stars began to slowly bleed past them. There was an explosion at their rear and the pieces of a ship scattered across Poe's vision before they slingshot into light speed. He didn't even have a chance to get one last look at D'Qar.

With a gasp, Poe was thrown forward as the X-Wing burst through the other end of the slip stream, rocking back and forth from the rippling waves of energy as the rest of the convoy made it through.

"Is everyone okay? What was that explosion before we left?" The General chirped over the radio, next to her Finn was curled up in his seat with one hand on his hammering chest and his eyes a million miles away.

"Two TIE-fighters collided trying to follow us. Dumb bastards." One of the other X-Wing pilots in Poe's unit laughed and a chorus of nervous chuckles followed. Poe leaned back in his seat and let out a long, slow breath of relief as several New Republic vessels lazily bumbled into view. The General began bantering back and forth with the pilots, more than likely some of her old war buddies from the days of the Empire.

Poe remained oddly silent, staring straight ahead with his thoughts on a planet now very far away where his friends were fighting for their very existence against those he considered his enemies. He was never one for contemplating or heavy thoughts but found himself there anyway. It was a good thing he already dropped the Knight, Mòr Ren, or he would have gone back and hunted her down personally.


	9. Chapter 9

_Do not fall asleep...do not fall asleep..._

It was hard to focus, and each breath was getting harder to make. Floating here in this cloud was soothing, relaxing compared to the reality ahead of me. But if I stayed here, nothing would ever get done. Already I could feel myself being pulled up through the miasma, and was thrown back into consciousness as suddenly as I had lost it.

I coughed through the delirium and shuddered from the cold metal touch of the droid on my back. My head began to ache painfully as if someone had stomped on the crown of my forehead several times with metal toed boots.

Face down on a metal slab. Well, now, this was embarrassing.

"Sorry, Master! Only a few more minutes and we'll have you patched right up!" The medical droid piped up, thinking my negative reaction was from its own doing. An incoherent noise left my mouth in response as I tried to recall the events on D'Qar. The last thing I could vividly remember was the red of the scarf, slipping away into the rising wind. The rest was a howl of violent imagery.

I sat straight up when I came to a full realization of my situation, ignoring the protests from the droid hovering around me. Hard corners, harsh filtered lights, sterile surfaces reeking of solution. Yeah, I was on a First Order ship. And look at me, in my Master's place of humility, heavily injured because for one split second I acted on a foolish impulse. Guess that is what I get for thinking I could reach higher than him too soon.

Thick puffy bandages had been applied to my right arm and around my upper torso, the medical droid began chirping off a report of my diagnostics while occasionally poking and prodding me as 'stimuli'. Looking down, I noticed I was still wearing the tattered pants and boots I had picked out what felt like years ago, singed and smelling like burnt flesh.

One of the lights flickered.

Just sitting there with the bindings on was almost suffocating, irritating. It was humiliating, being injured in such a way. Coming close to dying had not thrown me into extreme self awareness, but had taught me to be afraid again. For the first time in my life doubt nagged at every breath I took and sat in the back of my head whispering nonsense.

But I had lived, and since I was on a First Order ship, then the mission must have been a success all across the board. At least now I had personal reason to make sure Poe Dameron will see his grave.

Speaking of which, I shoved my hand in my side pack, rummaged around a little and pulled out the map. So there was that at least.

"General Hux has been notified of your full recovery and will send down your next orders in a moment, sir!" The medical droid broke my train of thought as it circled the length of the room. I noticed my old close had been laid out at the foot of the examination table, complete with my helmet staring at me in the face and my lightsaber standing erect.

"I do not answer to Hux." I laughed at the very idea and sent the droid into a stream of unintelligible sentences. It bumbled around the room as I started to change, stripping off the sweaty and bloodied garments to pull my familiar black and woolen tunic around my waist and shoulders. Aww, it even smelled like it had been washed.

I tucked the map away into the inside pocket of my robe where I would decide what to do with it later. General Leia's words still burned even more painfully than the blaster wound in the back of my mind, deep down where the id began to growl a primal voice of dissent. Suppressing a sigh, I pulled my boots on and turned towards my helmet, placing my hand on the dome of its forehead.

Was it even possible for me to forget its imposing design? In the past I had gone months, even years without removing it, usually only during the rare opportunities I had to eat. Over time, it had been easy to forget the before. Mòr and Osiria share the same face, but only one of them wears the mask.

Without so much as a knock, the door abruptly sprung open and in walked one of my fellow Knights, Ios Ren. His presence shifted the energy in the room considerably, even the foolish droid that could not even conceive of such principles stopped what it was doing to shiver.

"Good to see you recovered so quickly, Mòr. Did you enjoy your errand?" His voice is deepened considerably by his own helmet as he fingers the giant saw blade slung over his shoulder. He has no need for such an ancient weapon, just because, he once explained.

"It was nice, D'Qar is very pleasant this time of year." I snorted and tried to stand a bit taller despite the pressure on my back.

"At least you made it back in one piece, it was so boring waiting around for you. Everyone else has already joined the Supreme Leader and Master Kylo Ren expects us soon. Were you able to acquire the map?" Ios asked, standing sentry in the middle of the room. I cannot forget the words exchanged with General Leia, and right now they were screaming at me over and over. I had to take a second to pause and draw breath, chase away the delusions fogging judgement.

"No, I was unable to secure it." The lie fell out of my lips before I could even stop it, as if in that one moment I had left my body and was watching from far away. Guess I just decided what I was going to do with it. Ios remained silent for the longest second of my life, staring at me in what I could only guess was disbelief. Even I was just as dumbfounded.

"Then you will have to answer to Master Kylo. We must leave at once."

* * *

sorry for the super late update, life happened. life happened hard.

I wasn't sure if I should post this chapter, its too short but pretty much done and want to make up for my long absence, I might stretch it out a bit more but nothing major. I think Mor/Osiria is too conflict-y over a minor reason and I want to ground her, but that might end up being a good thing later. Idk. Let me know if I am getting too cliche which I think I might be. Thank you for still hanging on and showing support, I plan on updating a lot more if life does not happen again lol


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